Roller faced suction box



Feb. 25, 1964 JEAN-P1ERRE MAuPAs 3,122,471

ROLLER FAcED sucTIoN Box Filed May 18, 1960 FIGI INVENTOR.

JEAN-PIERRE MAUPAS BEPM@ @I ATTORNEYS United States Patent O 3,122,471 RGLLER FACED SUCTION BOX .lean-Pierre Maupas, 27 Rue Berruoe, Marornme, France Filed May 18, 1960, Ser. No. 29,935 4 Claims. (Cl. 162-373) In the manufacture of paper, the pulp is conventionally arranged on a conveyor formed by a woven metal gauze sheet. This sheet passes over a metal case in which a vacuum is applied to carry olf part of the liquid contained in the pulp. This case, which is fixed, comprises a grid pierced with holes on its upper surface. This device has numerous disadvantages and in particular, there is considerable wear of the metal gauze which continually rubs on the case, and furthermore, the apertures provided on an upper part of the case become choked.

in certain conventional devices a plurality of carrying rollers are utilized on to which the metal conveyor is disposed, the metal cloth driving the supporting rollers or cylinders. The metallic enclosure to which a vacuum is applied is located beneath the rollers so as to cause the drying of the paper pulp carried by the metal cloth.

ln some conventional devices of the described character, sealing belts are located at the periphery of the carrying cylinders in order to ensure the air-tightness of the device and therefore facilitate the application of a vacuum to the enclosure. The sealing belts are disposed over two thirds of the cylinders and are usually maintained in position by cylindrical `fixed parts.

Such device olers many disadvantages mainly due to the fact that the contacting surfaces of the sealing belts with the Xed cylindrical parts creates considerable frict-ion.

This friction causes a braking action of the carrying cylinders during rotation which prevents satisfactory performance of the device.

Furthermore, the sealing belts being maintained in position by means of xed parts do not take advantage of their ilexibility and elasticity which results in that they do not encourage a uniform deformation of the moving metal cloth.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide an improved device for drying paper pulp or similar material, comprising rollers, cheeks of box-like form placed at the ends of the rollers to form a duid-tight case Iinside which a vacuum is applied for sucking up the moisture contained in the paper pulp through a conveyor, and sealing belts at the sides of the rollers, to prevent any lateral air leakage. Another object of the invention is to provide manifold-like cheeks forming vacuum chambers at the ends of the carrying cylinders.

Still another object of the invention is to decrease the friction of the sealing belts with respect to their fixed support cheeks at the sides of the device.

The invention also has the purpose of preventing premature wear of the edges of the conveyor by the arrangement of the sealing belts at the ends of the upper rollers.

The invention applies to the characteristics hereinafter described and to their various possible combinations.

A drying device lfor paper pulp is shown by way of non-restrictive example in the attached drawings, in which:

FIG. l shows a sectional view of the case and driving rollers according to a preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional side view taken along line 2 2 of FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is a side view of FIG. ,1, and

FIG. 4 is a side View of the end partition or wall lforming one of the cheeks.

In the embodiment shown in the drawings, the improved ICC device comprises a metal cloth conveyor 10 for carrying the paper pulp and mounted on rollers -11 and 12 for driving the upper rollers. The upper rollers 11 are placed with their axes in one and the same plane, so as to be at the same level and are staggered in relation to the lower rollers 1,2. The space left between two consecutive rollers and the roller immediately below forms the vacuum chamber 13.

The vacuum chamber 13 lis closed on each side by a cheek of box-like shape having lower and upper walls 15, 15 and a vertical end wall 17 respectively. The cheeks form manifolds at the ends of the upper rollers communicating with the vacuum spaces or chambers 13.

As shown `in FIG. l, the ends of the upper rollers are provided with a smaller diameter or else an annular shoulder enabling a sealing belt 14 to be arranged only about the series of upper rollers.

This belt 114 has the object ofl creating duid-tightness for the vacuum air `case by pressing on the upper rollers and rubbing, on the one hand, on the cheek of manifold box 15, 17, and on the other, on the periphery of the lower rollers 12.

A notch 16 is formed in cheek walls 15 to receive the sealing belt and increase the eiiciency of fluid-tightness.

The vacuum case is closed at its end by a partition 17, this partition comprising apertures 18 for the upper spindles to pass through.

Fluid-tightness between the spindle 19' of the roller 11 and the partition 17 is obtained by a rubber washer, as shown, permanently rubbing on said spindle. The upper rollers which are of a length appreciably equal to that of the lower rollers are thus rotatively Vdriven by the conveyor formed by the metal gauze sheet 10.

The arrangement of the belt 14 enables, when the metal gauze sheet 10 is driving the rollers 11, the avoiding of premature Wear of the edges of the metal sheet because the edges rest on the sealing belt 14 which moves continuously at the same speed as the sheet 10.

The spindles 19 and 2@ journaling the upper and lower rollers pass through the partition 21 supported by the frame of the machine. The spindles 19 and 2l) rest in ball bearings placed in covers 22 and 22' (FIG. 3).

These ball bearings enable a smooth and extremely easy rotation of the rollers to be obtained, Iwhich also avoids premature Wear of the sheet due to the friction required for driving the rollers when particularly when starting.

In the device shown and `described above, the vacuum required for drying the paper pulp is set up by means of a Vacuum pump currently employed in the industry and also employed -in known fixed case devices. The pump may be connected to the device at one of the cheeks formed by manifold walls 15, 17.

It is quite obvious that the conveyor shown in the description above made of metal gauze sheeting can be made of felt, such practice being known.

What l claim is:

1. 4In a mach-ine `for drying paper pulp or the like, including a -uid tight case placed adjacent a pulp conveyor and having a vacuum set up inside the case for sucking up the water contained in the paper pulp, the improvements wherein said case comprises groups of upper and lower rollers, each lower roller being in tangential rolling contact with adjacent upper rollers, cheeks placed at the ends of the rollers to complete said case, said cheeks yforming box-like manifolds to which all of the spaces between the rollers open, spindles mounted in the cheeks on which the rollers freely revolve, and a pair of belts of resilient material each trained around an end of the group of upper rollers and engaging said cheeks and said pulp conveyor to form a movable seal and ensure uid tightness or the case.

2. In a machine for drying paper pulp the combination according to claim 1 wherein said belts are each trained over the extreme ends of the upper rollers and also extend partially over said iixed cheeks so Yas to ensure the air tightness of the vacuum chambers dened by the rollers and the box-like profile of the cheeks.

3. ln a machine for drying paper pulp the combination according to claim 2, wherein annular shoulders to reduced diameter are yformed at the extremities of the upper rollers, said belts being movably seated on said shoulders to enable the passage of the belt between the upper rollers and the lower rollers.

4. In a machine for drying paper pulp the combination according to claim 2 wherein the portion of each belt which extends over said xed cheeks is narrower than 4 the portion trained over the ends of said rollers so as to minimize the friction of the belts on the iXed cheeks.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 419,900 Van Ryzin et al. Ian. 21, 1890 614,714 Grant Nov. 22, 1898 1,145,745 Brown July 6, 1915 1,183,273 Binns May 15, 1916 1,366,986 Wenzel Feb. 1, 1921 1,468,240 Lamort et al Sept. 18, 1923 1,791,065 Severini Feb. 3, 1931 1,810,456 Yonekura June 16, 1931 1,959,853 Lamort Mar. 13, 1934 1,955,399 Weston Apr. 17, 1934 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,226,039 France Feb. 22, 1960 

1. IN A MACHINE FOR DRYING PAPER PULP OR THE LIKE, INCLUDING A FLUID TIGHT CASE PLACED ADJACENT A PULP CONVEYOR AND HAVING A VACUUM SET UP INSIDE THE CASE FOR SUCKING UP THE WATER CONTAINED IN THE PAPER PULP, THE IMPROVEMENTS WHEREIN SAID CASE COMPRISES GROUPS OF UPPER AND LOWER ROLLERS, EACH LOWER ROLLER BEING IN TANGENTIAL ROLLING CONTACT WITH ADJACENT UPPER ROLLERS, CHEEKS PLACED AT THE ENDS OF THE ROLLERS TO COMPLETE SAID CASE, SAID CHEEKS FORMING BOX-LIKE MANIFOLDS TO WHICH ALL OF THE SPACES BETWEEN THE ROLLERS OPEN, SPINDLES MOUNTED IN THE CHEEKS ON WHICH THE ROLLERS FREELY REVOLVE, AND A PAIR OF BELTS OF RESILIENT MATERIAL EACH TRAINED AROUND AN END OF THE GROUP OF UPPER ROLLERS AND ENGAGING SAID CHEEKS AND SAID PULP CONVEYOR TO FORM A MOVABLE SEAL AND ENSURE FLUID TIGHTNESS OF THE CASE. 